SECOND LOOK: Saga – Vol. 2

With Brian K. Vaughan’s first volume of SAGA complete, volume two, released on July 2, 2013, begins with Hazel telling the story of her father Marko as a young boy. Marko’s parents take him to see the final battle of Wreath so that he will never forget where he comes from and how hard it was for his parents to bring him up amongst the midst of constant violence surrounding his young life. He is also reminded by his parents to never forget who his enemy is….the species of his future wife. It is here in which we are told how his parents have always felt about their rival species and how open minded Marko becomes as he grows older.

Cut forward to where SAGA’s first volume ended; Marko’s parents seeing Alana and her baby. Marko introduces them and a fight breaks out (we could see this coming a mile away and couldn’t wait to see the outcome!) Marko then realizes that he must save Izabel, Hazel’s babysitter, from when they became separated within the previous battle. He creates what to be a teleporting slice into thin air itself and proclaims that he won’t be long. Klara, Marko’s mother, jumps in after him! This leaves Marko’s father, Barr, and Alana alone together with Hazel. Marko and Klara arrive safely on the other side and are soon confronted by a giant being which is only known to speak the word “Fard.” This right here is a masterful piece of work by illustrator Fiona Staples!

The imagination she puts into drawing and coloring this character expresses just how much of an actual threat “Fard” is to Marko and Klara. Marko places a spell on the “Fard” and knocks him unconscious. He and his mother continue to look for Izabel. What the encounter next is my personal favorite part of this volume. They stumble upon these beings that call themselves the Midwives. Midwives wear black cloaks and keep their hoods up. Only thing that makes them incredibly creepy and yet mysterious are their heads…..they are attached to their bodies upside down! Just as the Midwives look to be the end of Marko and his mother, an orange ape appears!

It scares the midwives away and is to revealed to be Izabel in disguise! She teleports them back to the treeship that Alana and Barr are waiting on. Throughout Marko and Klara’s journey to fin Izabel, we are made perfectly clear that Alana and Barr become great friends and come to terms with each other regarding species. As chatting begins amongst the group, a piece of what looks like an asteroid hits the side of the treeship. Marko tells everyone to buckle up and prepare for immediate departure. We are then given a breathtaking visual of what is outside the treeship; not an asteroid field but the shell of an enormous, planet-sized, baby creature that is hatching in space! That’s what really draws me into the story of SAGA! How Brian K. Vaughan never lets up. The story never becomes dull even for a moment! It’s entirely fast-paced and never really comes up for air!

A ship begins approaching Marko’s treeship. It’s The Will! And he is with Gwendolyn….Marko’s ex-girlfriend! They evade the hatching baby and realize that they are within shooting range of the treeship. Without permission from The Will, Gwendolyn fires a warhead! The treeship crew begins to panic and Alana springs into action! She orders the ship to fly directly at the warhead and at the last minute evade it. The plan succeeds and the warhead goes right past the treeship. It collides into the stomach of the nearby hatching baby and explodes.

The baby begins to ooze a thick, black liquid into The Will’s ship causing it to break apart, thus sending Lying Cat into space. Alana and her crew aren’t away safely though. The baby begins to suck the tiny ship into his mouth! Barr is then seen exposing a yellow electric field from himself to stabilize the ship. This causes the baby to hurl the ship out of its mouth and into space! Barr then suddenly collapses due to his heart beginning to shut down from exposing too much energy. He passes away in the arms of Alana.

The story’s conclusion leaves us once again on a cliffhanger. We see Prince Robot IV confronting and shooting a dark skinned being with one eye in the leg after finding out that he can possibly know where Marko and Alana are. The Will eventually rescue Lying Cat back into his ship and is seen flying off into space. It is at this time we see Prince Robot IV to possibly be the one to have caught up to Marko and Alana! The story is so unpredictable in every sense of the word because of how Brian K. Vaughan created this universe! Between the constant introduction to new characters and dilemmas… SAGA will not end for a while.

Have you read SAGA, Vol. 2? What did you make of it? Let us know in the comments section below or send us a tweet!